Thrice Married Newt Gingrich Says Gays 'Muddle' Marriage

Newt Gingrich, who is married to his third wife, said this weekend that the U.S. was "drifting towards a terrible muddle" by not limiting marriage to members of the opposite sex, Reuters reported.

But he drew a distinction between Iowa, where the Supreme Court essentially legalized gay marriage, and New York, where elected representatives did.

"Iowa was a very different case from New York," Gingrich said, according to reporter O. Kay Henderson.

"I mean, Iowa was seven judges deciding that they would arbitrarily overturn the laws and the culture of the state of Iowa which is fundamentally different," Gingrich said. "I mean New York at least, whether you agree or disagree with the outcome, it is in the elected process and it is in the legislature and it is with the governor and that's the right venue."

"I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I think that's what marriage ought to be and I would like to find ways to defend that view as legitimately and effectively as possible," Gingrich said.